PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE
Wheelchair user with 3.621 cGPA, 3.4 sGPA… 514 MCAT (1st attempt, 126/130/128/130)
Graduated last year with double BS degrees in psychology (neuroscience track with honors) and biology (pre-health track), major GPAs 3.91 and 3.54 respectively. Also have a theatre minor. Excess credits for most semesters with a very lousy first year and one subsequent semester off due to health reasons, still finished undergrad in 4 years (not a well-known school for undergrad). Still trying to figure out how to potentially address this in a PS, my reason for taking time off was related to trauma which was also the main reason for pursuing medicine over just research. Unsure if this will help vs hurt my app, been approaching it sensitively but have been given a variety of very positive vs very negative feedback due to it being a convincing story but also a taboo.
1250 research hours up until this point, a little over 1k coming from a published (not peer-reviewed) self guided honors thesis in social psych. For my thesis I presented at 2 conferences and 3 events at my school. I did receive a summer fellowship for $2k and judges choice at my schools symposium, but nothing too prestigious. The rest of the research comes from RA work in a clinical psych addiction lab with one conference poster, and data abstraction for clinical oncology research with a pub in the works (but not a lot of involvement in the study beyond data abstraction for now, trying to see if there is anything I can do about this). Should at least have good LORs… But I want to do a neuro program and I will have 0 wet lab research or real science pubs at the time of application. :/ I at least know what research I have done and can speak on it confidently, just don't have confidence in the rest of my app to necessarily get me to an II.
I am trying to get more involved right now, so I can at least have some more pending hours. Opportunities may include actual wet lab neuroscience or more oncology work… still pending though and certainly not guaranteed. Options in my area are limited due to questions of federal funding and not being located by any major research facilities… I am unable to relocate right now, so I’m a bit worried about that. (Potential to use this as an OIE??? Idk)
Right now I am just continuing to do scribe work with a small amount of research on the side (data abstraction mentioned above)… This will be my second gap year, and although I obtained a lot of clinical hours in my first gap year, I did not get more than like 100 hrs of research, which feels bad.
I have been going to a lot of appointments to ensure my physical health is controlled enough to go to medical school which limits what positions I can take, which could be a good OIE to explain lack of research productivity but it seems like it may be looked on poorly. I do also have pretty significant financial limitations I can speak on.
Clinical and volunteering hours are in excess with leadership btw, I’ll be fine on that front.
Schools are limited due to needing a place that is welcoming towards disabled applicants w/accommodating technical standards. I am also not the most gender-conforming so moving to a super red state would be difficult during these times.
Unfortunately it seems like every school that meets this criteria is a top tier which is way out of my stat range though… Wondering if applying this cycle is a waste of money or not. Probably going to look into applying to some NIH post-baccs since I will be able to relocate as of next year. Still, if anyone has good school list advice at least, please let me know!
Wheelchair user with 3.621 cGPA, 3.4 sGPA… 514 MCAT (1st attempt, 126/130/128/130)
Graduated last year with double BS degrees in psychology (neuroscience track with honors) and biology (pre-health track), major GPAs 3.91 and 3.54 respectively. Also have a theatre minor. Excess credits for most semesters with a very lousy first year and one subsequent semester off due to health reasons, still finished undergrad in 4 years (not a well-known school for undergrad). Still trying to figure out how to potentially address this in a PS, my reason for taking time off was related to trauma which was also the main reason for pursuing medicine over just research. Unsure if this will help vs hurt my app, been approaching it sensitively but have been given a variety of very positive vs very negative feedback due to it being a convincing story but also a taboo.
1250 research hours up until this point, a little over 1k coming from a published (not peer-reviewed) self guided honors thesis in social psych. For my thesis I presented at 2 conferences and 3 events at my school. I did receive a summer fellowship for $2k and judges choice at my schools symposium, but nothing too prestigious. The rest of the research comes from RA work in a clinical psych addiction lab with one conference poster, and data abstraction for clinical oncology research with a pub in the works (but not a lot of involvement in the study beyond data abstraction for now, trying to see if there is anything I can do about this). Should at least have good LORs… But I want to do a neuro program and I will have 0 wet lab research or real science pubs at the time of application. :/ I at least know what research I have done and can speak on it confidently, just don't have confidence in the rest of my app to necessarily get me to an II.
I am trying to get more involved right now, so I can at least have some more pending hours. Opportunities may include actual wet lab neuroscience or more oncology work… still pending though and certainly not guaranteed. Options in my area are limited due to questions of federal funding and not being located by any major research facilities… I am unable to relocate right now, so I’m a bit worried about that. (Potential to use this as an OIE??? Idk)
Right now I am just continuing to do scribe work with a small amount of research on the side (data abstraction mentioned above)… This will be my second gap year, and although I obtained a lot of clinical hours in my first gap year, I did not get more than like 100 hrs of research, which feels bad.
I have been going to a lot of appointments to ensure my physical health is controlled enough to go to medical school which limits what positions I can take, which could be a good OIE to explain lack of research productivity but it seems like it may be looked on poorly. I do also have pretty significant financial limitations I can speak on.
Clinical and volunteering hours are in excess with leadership btw, I’ll be fine on that front.
Schools are limited due to needing a place that is welcoming towards disabled applicants w/accommodating technical standards. I am also not the most gender-conforming so moving to a super red state would be difficult during these times.
Unfortunately it seems like every school that meets this criteria is a top tier which is way out of my stat range though… Wondering if applying this cycle is a waste of money or not. Probably going to look into applying to some NIH post-baccs since I will be able to relocate as of next year. Still, if anyone has good school list advice at least, please let me know!
